Zombies

High school junior William Poole wrote a story in his journal about zombies attacking a high school. His grandparents read his journal and turned him in to the police (it’s Kentucky, so apparently this is normal).

William Poole was arrested, charged with making a terrorist threat, and thrown in jail. The prosecutors asked to raise his bail due to the serious nature of the charge, and the judge agreed, raising it to $5000.
[original story at Lex18 via One Good Thing]

William Poole is 18 years old. At last report, he was being held in an adult county jail, presumably in the literature wing. If he were convicted, the felony would go on his adult record and he would lose his voting rights.

Notice that this does not in any way involve publication or distribution. It does not involve political speech or realistic violence. Merely writing or possessing a short story in a private journal about zombies can in itself constitute a terrorist threat worthy of automatic jail time.

It seems obvious that the case will eventually be overturned (although it is Kentucky, so who knows). But whatever eventually happens, an 18 year old had to spend time in county, someone (hopefully) paid the fee for a bail bond, someone is going to have to hire a lawyer, all to defend a fucking zombie story against a fucking felony rap.

There are certain assholes who snicker about the “crushing of dissent,” certain jingo pole-dancers who sneer over their cash-stuffed jock straps at the very idea of a creeping fascism… These people know nothing of patriotism. People who truly love America want to save it from shit like this.

The principal alledges there were diagrams of the school’s security in Poole’s personal diary, and this somehow constitutes a felony threat…. It doesn’t, of course, but it is a slightly different side to the story.